The invention relates to an extrusion process for the formation of leavened dough products. The invention further relates to leavened dough products with improved characteristics.
Businesses involved in commercial food production and distribution generally must use efficient production processes to provide food at a reasonable cost. In addition, these businesses consider the food characteristics such that the food is desirable to a significant number of consumers. While consumers desire food with appealing taste and texture, they also demand food products that are simple and fast to prepare.
Extrusion processes for the formation of food products offer an efficient and cost effective approach for the formation of both cooked (hot extrusion) and raw (cold extrusion) food products. Raw extruded food products may be subsequently cooked following extrusion. Traditional products produced by cold extrusion include, for example, pasta. Extrusion processes, however, necessarily have certain characteristics that suggest the types of products that can be effectively produced by way of extrusion. In particular, extrusion processes push the ingredients, often under significant pressure, while moving the food product up to and through a die. Thus, extrusion processes are particularly suitable for the processing of dense products. Because of high pressures in the extrusion process, extrusion generally is not suitable for the production of less dense, breadier doughs. These products generally are most successfully prepared by conventional cooking approaches such as boiling, baking and frying.
With respect to approaches for preparing food, microwave reheating is an approach that is desirable to consumers because of its speed and convenience. However, reheating of products in a microwave oven can result in alteration of the texture of the product relative to the texture produced by conventional cooking and heating approaches. In particular, dough products generally experience altered texture upon microwave reheating.
In a first aspect, the invention pertains to a method of forming a leavened dough product comprising extruding a mixture including flour, water and chemical leavener, the chemical leavener comprising a leavening acid and a salt having an anion selected from the group consisting of carbonate and bicarbonate, the extrusion temperature being less than about 145xc2x0 F. (62.8xc2x0 C.), the chemical leavener releasing sufficient carbon dioxide from the formation of the mixture through the extrusion to decrease the density of the extruded dough by at least about 5 percent relative to the corresponding extruded dough without the chemical leavener.
In a further aspect, the invention pertains to a method of forming a leavened dough product comprising extruding a mixture comprising flour, water and chemical leavener, the leavener comprising a leavening acid and a salt having an anion selected from the group consisting of carbonate and bicarbonate, the extrusion temperature being less than about 145xc2x0 F. (62.8xc2x0 C.), the extruded uncooked dough having a density less than about 1.12 g/cc.
In another aspect, the invention pertains to a method of forming a leavened dough product, the method comprising:
forming a mixture comprising flour and a chemical leavener, the leavener comprising a leavening acid and a salt having an anion selected from the group consisting of carbonate and bicarbonate;
combining the mixture with an aqueous liquid to form a premix; and
extruding the premix to form a dough product.
In addition, the invention pertains to a fried filled food product comprising a filling having a water activity greater than about 0.9, the food product having a dough around the filling with an inner, dense high moisture layer that extends through no more than about 25 percent of the thickness of the cooked dough.
In a further aspect, the invention pertains to a cooked filled dough product which is capable of withstanding reheating in a microwave oven without the cooked dough portion significantly changing its texture, wherein the cooked dough portion of the dough product comprises a by product of a leavening acid and a soda. Unleavened extruded dough products upon microwave reheating become tougher and chewier and have a more leathery texture.
Moreover, the invention pertains to a cooked filled dough product wherein the filling has a water activity greater than about 0.9, the cooked filled dough product being capable of withstanding a freeze thaw cycle without exhibiting a significant change in its texture. After a freeze thaw cycle, unleavened extruded filled dough products lose rigidity and structural integrity, and become soggy.